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The first thing Catherine did was hide behind Damien.
It was an instinctive move since she felt it was important to get out of his sight, but don’t Percyville and Damian meet face to face in her mansion?
“Miss Anne Maggie?”
Catherine raised her head at the call of Prime Minister Cole.
“You don’t look so good—. Do you have any problem with the food here?”
Catherine shook her head roughly.
“No, it’s not. Imperial food is as savory and familiar as my hometown food. I just have seasickness—”
“The anchor has just been dropped now.”
“I, it’s the seasickness caused by dropping anchor.”
“Is there such a thing? As expected, the world is wide and has a lot of strange motion sickness.”
Even in the state of having a conversation with Prime Minister Cole. Catherine’s nerves were all directed to Percyville.
‘It can’t be, did he recognize me?’
It could have been difficult in many ways if he recognized her and come closer to her.
People will not see Catherine again, but isn’t it different with Cesare? As expected, it seemed that leaving was the better choice.
“Prime Minister.”
“Yes?”
“I’m sorry, but I believe this ends our meeting. It’s difficult to bear since it’s ‘that day.’ The banquet has only just begun, but I need to take a break.”
“What do you mean that day—”
There was a sense of intentionally spitting out embarrassing noises. She didn’t have the face to set up in the first place, and she hoped the prime minister would let her go as soon as possible. Prime Minister Cole, who was suspiciously sweeping his chin, shortly shook his head.
“Aha! I understand what you mean. Oh my, it must be very difficult. In fact, my daughter also had a blessing a few weeks ago. I remember when she was sick—”
No. I’m not curious about your daughter. At this rate, she felt she’d have to listen to his chatter all night, so she left pretending to be sick.
“Prime Minister Cole is famous for being talkative.”
As if he thought Catherine’s absence was due to Prime Minister Cole’s chatter, Damian whispered as he leaned close behind her.
“That’s not why I came out. Don’t you see it, Damian?”
“What do you mean?”
“It’s Percyville.”
Pff!
Champagne, which was passing down Damian’s throat, returned to the cup.
Ugh, it’s dirty.
Damian, who had been coughing, shook his head with a dissatisfied expression.
“Damn it. Come to think of it, the ship’s owner was Jenon Fahenrichin? There’s a reason the paladins had to pass Christopher.”
“Are all the paladins here at that time?”
“Are you talking about Carlos? It certainly is. Paladins are no different. They are all greedy for fame and wealth in the world.”
Judging by the bloody expression on his face, he seemed to have been beaten several times by those who were drenched in their lust for fame and wealth.
‘Well, it’s not common for a knight with a personality like Damian.’
It was even more so when the focus was centered on the Imperial Knights. Damian would be the only Imperial knight to be a gardener in a shabby mansion rather than raising his own value.
The two made their way around the crowded ship and up to the railing. She was able to breathe a little easier after she got out of the crowded center.
It was time to see the black night sea rather than the night sky.
“Huh. Who is this? Damian Rodria?”
Damian checked behind his back for the voice he had heard. It seemed not to be a good atmosphere when his face, which seemed to be immersed in concentration, changed.
“Aren’t you Damian Rodria? The loser from the 1st Division!”
She couldn’t help but turn her head to the people who were interfering. Two tall knights glanced up and down Catherine and Damian.
‘It’s not easy to make a good first impression with a handsome face.’
Catherine, as expected, didn’t lose either and looked after the man.
“They said you were being punished for causing an accident. Why were you acting as an escort knight for a foreign lady?”
“Who’s not ashamed in the Iterana Empire—. Aren’t you ashamed of the imperial emblem on your chest?”
Damian was unaffected by the words they continued to spew out one after another. Catherine spoke to him.
“Damian, your friendship seems to be bad.”
“The guy on the right was the one who had his head shaved by me last year.”
“Oh, that punk who cried?”
One of the knights, who seemed to have heard it all, distorted his expression. Looking for something to chew as if they were hyenas, they suddenly turned around and beckoned to someone.
“Hey, you guys, come this way! There’s a nostalgic face!”
Is this what group bullying is all about? Catherine felt a strange sense of dĂŠjĂ  vu.
‘The knights or the social circles, the places where people live are all the same.’
Apparently, Damian’s skills seem to be great even within the Knights, but she couldn’t believe he had to endure this kind of treatment.
“Let’s just go.”
He tapped her shoulder with a face that he didn’t really care. A corner of her heart began to feel uncomfortable, and Catherine took her steps as he wished. However, even that appearance must have looked unpleasant to the knights.
“Tsk! He doesn’t even know basic manners. Hey, Damian! If you’re going to act like that, just put down your sword!”
“Is that scumbag going to leave? It is best to put his throat for someone with a low birth background.”
“You never know, dude. If he sells his body like now, will he have a clearer way to live?”
It was a clear voice as if everyone should hear it. Thanks to this, he felt uncomfortable, and started to get nervous.
Damian scratched his neck with a look of embarrassment.
“I’m sorry, Lady. Because of me— Should we go back to the cabin? For your information, not all knights are like that. Those guys have very twisted minds.”
“Damian, aren’t you angry?”
He shook his head with a determined look.
“I definitely do. If I were alone, I would have caught up with a dog fight by now.”
It was awkward for Damian, who was quietly avoiding the place even in Catherine’s eyes. Then he said,
“But, right now, I owe His Excellency Cesare a debt of gratitude, right? I need to be careful.”
‘…Debt?’
Do you usually call that kind of thing a debt? It seemed that Damian was brainwashed by Cesare. Damian, it’s  not a debt, you are being hired as a slave.
To be brainwashed for not being harassed, and even to be ignored by knights like idiots! It was only for a pushover to calm down like this. Catherine decided to step up for her gardener.
“Wait for me, Damian. I’ll ask my teacher if it’s okay to be rude.”
“What?”
As if asking to trust her, she ran to the center of the party on board.
The desire to give them a shot was greater than the anxiety of avoiding Percyville. And if possible, it would be more comfortable to act with Cesare’s permission.
Cesare stood out from afar thanks to his tall figure and shining silver hair. She walked up to him without taking any measurements and grabbed his arm.
“Teacher.”
Catherine couldn’t breathe for a very short moment.
It was the moment when Cesare’s gaze turned to her. Because that moment felt cold, as if trapped in an ice cube.
The cold gaze that seemed to be cut by the blade melted in an instant as soon as the eyes met. All of this happened so quickly that Catherine had to stutter without even realizing it.
“M, may I scold those who hurt my pride?”
His surroundings were surrounded by numerous men and women. However, Cesare’s face was so bright like the sun that she couldn’t even see the expressions of the people around him.
After a moment’s silence, he wrapped his arms around Catherine’s shoulder and left. He then answered in a low voice.
“Did you come all the way here to ask that? You don’t have to. You can just do whatever you want.”
Cesare’s words were so sweet that she couldn’t help but ask back.
“Why can I do whatever I want? What do you think I’m going to do?”
“What does Miss Catherine want to do with a threat like this?”
“It’s not a threat—then you set a line. So I can keep the line.”
She didn’t want him to regret it after she did something embarrassing.
“If you really need something like that— Hmmm. All you have to do is not take off the Crown Prince’s panties in front of people. Would this be enough?”
No, she has no idea.
But she seemed to know roughly what his intentions were. Doesn’t it mean that no matter what she does, he’ll accept it?
She nodded and went back to the railing where she and Damian had parted. Until then, she had a light heart that he must have been drinking casually by now.
However, today’s Damian seemed to have no intention of acting within Catherine’s prediction. This is because as soon as she arrived, a dynamic scene unfolded in front of her.
Damian’s sharp fists hit the man’s cheek. No matter how hard he hit, the knight fell to the floor as it was.
“Uhh—”
“Hey, friend. You missed my fist, right? Otherwise, you can’t keep being cheeky.”
She must have overestimated his patience. Yes, when Damian hit someone, he hit him, but he wasn’t the kind of person who would pass over casually.
“Damian, you crazy bastard! Do you know where this is?”
“The damn illegitimate child can’t even tell—”
Tch. The knight who was beaten coolly spat out blood-soaked saliva and raised his upper body. She’s not sure what else is going on, but she knows he’s not being hit once or twice.
“Hey. If you don’t want to drink only stew when you’re young, shut it.”
“U, ugh wait!”
Catherine had no intention of interrupting their  conversation. To be exact, she was thinking about whether to stop or not. When she considers the knights who mock him, she believes it is okay to beat them, but when she considers Damian, she wonders if he should be stopped.
But while she was pondering, a mediator appeared.
“Sir Damian.”
The owner of the voice was a slender but solid female knight.
“Many people are looking at you. Stop killing that idiot and get up.”
Unexpectedly, Damian raised his body smoothly. He still looked a bit disappointed.
The female knight said with an upright posture as if to notify Damian.
“Just because your personality is exceptionally dirty doesn’t mean you can break the rules of the Knights. Any act that damages the reputation of the Imperial Knights from outside will be severely punished. So I’ll tell the captain about this case.”